Go into any basketball locker room in the world — CYO leagues, middle school, high school, or even in the NBA — and you’ll find sharpshooters, bench warmers, you’ll see Jordans, adidas and Reebok, you’ll see tall oafs and slippery guards, coaches that rarely say a word and coaches that never shut up. Every team will have it’s own unique flavor, it’s own unique environment. They all, however, have one thing in common: music will be consumed.
Using music to get pumped up is as profound in basketball as it is in any other sport. That probably has something to do with introductions. When done right, they can even get Jeff Green excited. It also has to do with the connection between hip-hop and basketball.
Hip-hop and basketball are connected at the hip, and as you can see in this survey of players from five playoff teams, rap is the music of choice for most of the NBA.
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Atlanta Hawks
JEFF TEAGUE
– Future featuring Lil Wayne – “Karate Chop”
– Lil Wayne – “I Miss My Dawgs”
– Dipset – “More Than Music”
– Drake – “Started From The Bottom”
Denver Nuggets
KENNETH FARIED
– Drake – “Started From The Bottom”
– 50 Cent ft. Kendrick Lamar – “We Up”
KOSTA KOUFOS
– Drake – “Started From The Bottom”
– Drake – “Headlines”
– Jay-Z – “H To The Izzo”
WILSON CHANDLER
– 2Pac – “All Eyes On Me”
– Chief Keef – “Monster”
– A$AP Rocky – “Angels”
– Future – “Karate Chop”
– Dipset – “Dipset Anthem”
Keep reading to see what Harrison Barnes listens to before a game…
Golden State Warriors
DRAYMOND GREEN
– Wale – “Bad”
– Ace Hood – “Bugatti”
– Jon Connor – “No Thrillz”
FESTUS EZELI
– J. Cole – “Power Trip”
– Justin Timberlake – “Mirrors”
– 2 Chainz – “Yuck”
– DJ Khaled ft. Rick Ross – “I Did It For My Dawgs”
– Trinidad James – “All Gold Everything”
HARRISON BARNES
– Kendrick Lamar – “Collect Calls”
– Justin Timberlake – “Mirrors”
– J. Cole – “Power Trip”
– Bruno Mars – “Locked Outta Heaven”
Keep reading to get a look at Memphis’ pregame music tastes…
Memphis Grizzlies
AUSTIN DAYE
– Future – “Karate Chop” remix
– Drake ft. Wiz Khalifa – “Started From the Bottom” remix
– Justin Timberlake ft. Jay-Z – “Suit and Tie”
ED DAVIS
– Kendrick Lamar featuring Jay-Z – “Don’t Kill My Vibe” remix
– Future‘s latest album
– Gucci Mane – “First Day Out”
JERRYD BAYLESS
– Justin Timberlake – “20/20 Experience” album
MIKE CONLEY
– Justin Timberlake – “Mirrors”
– Drake – “Started From the Bottom”
– Rihanna – “Pour It Up”
QUINCY PONDEXTER
– Lumineers –”Hey Ho”
Keep reading to see what Brandon Jennings needs to get pumped up…
Milwaukee Bucks
BRANDON JENNINGS
– Drake “Started From The Bottom”
– Rocko “U.O.E.N.O.”
EKPE UDOH
– Rocko – “U.O.E.N.O.”
– Kendrick Lamar/Jay Z – “Don’t Kill My Vibe”remix
J.J. REDICK
– Alt-J “Breezeblocks”
– Silversun Pickups “Busy Bees”
– Imagine Dragons “Bleeding Out”
JOHN HENSON
– Rocko – “U.O.E.N.O.”
– Ace Hood – “Bugatti”
– J. Cole – “Power Trip”
MARQUIS DANIELS
– Rocko – “U.O.E.N.O.”
– Young Jeezy – “Get Right”
What’s on your pregame music playlist?
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